Bethel Planning

There has not been any overall neighborhood planning done for the Bethel area in over 40 years - since 1982. Little progress has taken place since the Building a Better Bethel report in 2014. This lack of planning is evident in the inadequacy of local amenities (theaters, restaurants), recreation facilities, and critical infrastructure such as bike paths and sidewalks.

The ABC Executive Board knows that there are opportunities to make Bethel better - supporting the creation of new jobs and educational opportunities, building better transportation connections, easing the path for redevelopment in key areas, and strengthening business connections. At the April 19, 2023 work session, city councilors expressed a desire to move forward with the Bethel and University District plans. At that work session, there was acknowledgement that a new approach was needed.

The issues that have been brought up (environment, safe routes to school, Highway 99 corridor enhancement which includes sidewalks) are all connected to ongoing city council strategies and Bethel needs to tie our issues to the city strategies.

Our first step is to gather as many email addresses as we can. Ask your neighbors to sign up for our email list at our new website www.activebethelcommunity.org to be sure they are aware of the latest events, volunteer opportunities, and efforts taking place in the Bethel neighborhood! At the bottom they will see Sign up for the monthly Newsletter.